Dual plan for fitness is best for diabetics

by Carla K. Johnson - Nov. 24, 2010 12:00 AMAssociated Press

CHICAGO - People with diabetes should mix aerobics with weight training to get the best results in lowering blood sugar, a new study suggests. The combination worked best for weight loss, too, compared with aerobics or weight training alone.

Blood sugar is fuel to muscles, and more sugar is burned during aerobic activity. Weight training builds more muscle, and both activities change muscle proteins in ways that enhance the process.

"It's clear that doing both aerobic and strength training is superior to either alone," said lead author Dr. Tim Church of Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La. "It's almost like taking two different drugs."

Patients in the study, published in today's Journal of the American Medical Association, achieved the results over nine months, exercising three days a week for about 45 minutes each session.

The researchers' goal was to test three exercise programs that doctors could realistically recommend and patients could stick with.

They compared aerobics alone, weight training alone and a combination. U.S. guidelines recommend aerobics and weight training combined for all adults.

All three groups worked out for about the same amount of time. A fourth group of patients was offered only weekly stretching and relaxation classes for further comparison. The study was completed by 245 people with diabetes.

The researchers found that only the group that combined aerobics and weights both lowered their blood sugar and lost weight, although all three fitness groups reduced their waist sizes.